


War of the Mind

by lyo24boi



Series: Haunted Pasts [2]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Canon Continuation, Established Relationship, M/M, Mental Anguish, Mental Health Issues, Mental Instability, Murder Mystery, Murderous Theo, Post-Canon, Post-Season/Series 06
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-02
Updated: 2019-05-12
Packaged: 2019-11-07 22:08:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17968943
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lyo24boi/pseuds/lyo24boi
Summary: Two weeks after the nekomata affair, Liam continues to struggle with his eyes when one of the pack's greatest foes returns. With Scott absent from Beacon Hills, it's somehow up to him to lead them against that which would seek to tear them apart.





	1. Disassociate and Disconnect

"Are you sure you wouldn't rather see this with your friends?" Jayna asked, standing in line.

"Mason's already seen it. And he and Corey are on a date anyway," Liam said.

"What about Nolan?"

"Do you not wanna' see the movie?"

"With my favorite nephew, anything," she said with a cheeky smile.

"Not that this is news, but I'm your only nephew."

"Now I'm not sure who's using who as a last resort."

Liam smiled, turning to look at the long line of people waiting for the tellers. "Nolan's at Disneyland for the weekend."

"And Hayden would be too much like a date?" Liam nodded, though he couldn't look at her. "No one on the lacrosse team?" Liam shrugged. "No one from the pack?" she said, more hushed.

"No one's back. Yet. I think Lydia's coming home soon and Scott...I think he's taking the Summer off for a change to spend time with his mom."

"An he-who-must-not-be-named?"

"Still ghosting me."

"And you're sure he's alive?"

"Positive."

Jayna stepped up to the large slanted touch screen and began tapping at it, some of the button requiring extra force and a seeming dance of the finger to get them to select. "I'm sorry, Liam."

"I'm just ready to go back to school. Get it over with."

"Get your mind off things?" Liam nodded. "The offer still stands. Whenever you're ready."

Liam took the ticket she offered him before grabbing her hand briefly and squeezing it. They started walking towards the theater entrance when he said, "For now, I just wanna' laugh my ass off."

"Well why don't you go park that ass in a couple good seats for us while I get the goods," she said. Liam grinned, opening the door for her before making his way toward one of the sides. Passing on his ticket for check to the surly teenager at the stand, he rushed quickly to the top once inside the dark room. Finding the middle unoccupied, he plopped down right under the projector lights illuminating a still-muted commercial. Finding the room too inanimate despite his fellow attendees, Liam pulled out his phone from his pocket and subconsciously clicked on the 'Texts' icon. There was Theo's slot, showing the start of Liam's last message of three to the chimera. And that's how Liam thought of him—addressed him in his mind. 'The Chimera.' It had briefly changed, and he'd hoped for more, but almost two weeks to the day had passed since he'd seen him. The mess with the nekomata. Falling apart in the middle of a neighborhood street. Only to be picked back up.

Liam shoved his phone back in his pocket, realizing his eyes were glowing blue in the dim reflection of the phone, even on an illuminated screen. He closed them, repeating that mantra in his head. Cycling through 'alpha, beta, omega' sprinkled into his normal one as to trick his mind into thinking about Derek, about another werewolf that wasn't Brett. Those memories. _That_ memory. In _that_ neighborhood street.

"Hey, you're Liam right?"

The werewolf looked up to see an unfamiliar girl around his age looking down at him, her friend behind her turning to look at him with a sudden glint of fear following. "Um, yeah?"

"I'm Phoebe, Gwen's sister," she said, taking the seat one chair down from him.

"Gwen...Gwen! Oh, hi."

"She told me what you did for her. You and your friends."

"So...you remember?" he said hushedly.

"Bits and pieces. It feels like a dream, really. I just wanted to say thank you."

"I...yeah." Liam nodded before glancing at her staring friend, both of who instantly looked away. He sat back in his seat and dug out his phone.

Just then, two boys entered the theater, both of who he recognized. When they took their seats, one in between the girls and the other on the far end of the group, Phoebe looked back at Liam. "You remember Tony, right?" she said, referring to the boy immediately to her right.

"Diaz," Liam said, nodding at his former lacrosse rival.

"Dunbar," the muscular boy said.

"Smiley," Liam said, looking at the boy on the far side.

"Hey, Liam," the kid greeted, his presumably girlfriend not looking his way anymore.

"Sorry about Jenn," Phoebe said, mostly a whisper now.

"Why?" he replied in kind.

"She was there that night. On Littleton."

Liam's heart skipped before breaking out into a seeming sprint. His vision tunneled. _Brett and Lori_. He looked away, staring straight ahead as he felt everything caving in.

"Alright, I got all your favorites," Jayna said, appearing mercifully. He took one look at her and she took her seat just that much faster. "You know your words," she said, discarding the drinks and food into sorted places. The werewolf nodded, closing his eyes and attempting to concentrate. The sound, however, that had yet to appear from the screen suddenly turned on. The new television show-advertisement cut right through him. His eye popped open and the blue was clearly aglow. "Liam," Jayna said. He looked at her and she smiled. "Take my hand, try not to break it, and listen to my words." He nodded. "Who's your alpha?"

"S-Scott."

"How did you meet Stiles?"

"Lacrosse practice."

"What's a banshee?"

"Someone who predicts death."

"Who's your best friend?"

"Mason."

"How'd you meet Hayden?"

"Accident in middle school."

"What's a chimera?"

"A...a uh…" He paused, searching for the description in his mind. Yet, only an image popped up. Theo.

"It doesn't matter," Jayna said, pulling his gaze and attention back to his aunt. She was smiling again. "It worked."

/ | * | * | \

"They confirm Liam's story."

"A whole pack of them. I'm still...I thought we'd seen just about everything," Scott said, looking at the dusty dashboard of Roscoe the Jeep.

"A _streak_ , Scott. Aren't you in veterinarian school?" Derek said from the other side of the phone.

"For cats and dogs…"

"You didn't have to take biology, or zoology?"

"Derek…"

"You should read more. The bestiary as well. Clearly you don't know what 'everything' encompasses."

"Derek, I'm already late."

"Fine. A streak of weretigers. Guarding the nemeton in Zhengzhou. They took this kid's grandmother's body to it. There's no hellhound, but they seemed confident it had been handled. The thing is, Scott...it's fully grown. The tree."

Silence fell between them. Derek heard breathing from the other end, letting him know that the true alpha was still on the line. The beta looked at his own reflection in the tall and wide window, refocusing his eyes to look out over the city. He wondered if anyone was watching him from this height; spying on him, targeting him.

"Do we need to protect them?" Scott finally said. "The nemeta?"

"That's a question for Deaton."

"Right." Scott paused again. "Will they join us?"

"Some of them seem more anxious, so maybe."

"Okay. Let them be then."

"I left them a way to contact us."

"Thanks, Derek."

"Of course."

"Alright, I'm gonna'—"

"Hey, Scott?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you okay? I mean...life and everything?"

"I guess. The war's slowed down. Mom's happy. I'm almost done."

"Malia?" Derek tried.

"So you've heard?" Scott said, knowingly.

"I've been known to keep tabs," the older man said with a smile.

"It's been two months. They...I get it, I just. It's hard."

"She'll come back. And she's not alone."

"Noshiko said Kira's training is complete."

"Your exes are scary, Scott," he said with a smirk.

Scott simply laughed, the humor and bizarrity of his words helping him away from the ledge. "And you? Life?"

"Well, apart from running the international mission for a teenager—"

"I'm 23."

"—everything's how I like them." Derek turned to look behind him, letting his eyes just soak in the sight of the woman in his bed. It certainly wasn't the first for them.

"I'm happy for you. You deserve it."

" _Our_ exes are scary."

Scott laughed again. "So is she, but she's a good one."

Derek looked up at Braeden's sleeping face. "She really is."

A pause nudged its way in before Scott finally said, "Alright, my advisor's going to leave if I don't go now."

"Take care, Scott."

"You, too." Scott lingered only a second with the phone to his ear before pulling it away and watching the call end. He grabbed his wallet from the console, took the keys from his lap, and started making his way towards the Irish pub two blocks down. Passing a staring set of eyes here or there from some of his fellow classmates, one with an accompanying flirting smile, the alpha opened the door. Spotting the familiar man at a table cornered away from the bar, he pushed through the crowd delicately. "So sorry I'm late. My...brother called me."

"I was going to call it here," the man said, tapping the mostly finished Guinness, "but I think I've got room for something small.

"It's on me," Scott said, smiling and looking towards the bar, hoping to spot one of the staff. However, his eyes landed on a blond man. His hair was slicked back. Tattoos on his knuckles. He took one last sip of his beer, looked back at Scott, and left. Scott's eyes followed him out.

"He's been here longer than I have," Scott's advisor said. The true alpha looked back at him, glancing only briefly to where the other sat.

/ | * | * | \

"Just as good as the first one?" Jayna said, walking side by side with Liam, their arms linked.

"Maybe even better," the werewolf said, a toothy grin effortlessly spreading. "And Josh Brolin as Thanos and now _Cable_ , ugh that was so good. In the comics he's so—"

"Nope. Dinner first. Then you can give me the full 100 year run-down of Cable and Deadpool."

"It's definitely not that long," Liam grumbled.

"Liam, hey wait up," the werewolf heard, turning to look back at Diaz coming up to him. "Listen, uh, so Phoebs suggested it might be cool if you joined us tonight."

"Joined you?"

"Yeah, uh, there's a party tonight. Pop-up, y'know. It's at the old firehouse."

"I mean, I'm out with my aunt and we were gonna' go grab—"

"Liam," Jayna said, "go have fun." The werewolf smiled, gratitude spelled across his face. She pulled him into a hug and said, "You earned this. Just be careful." He nodded. She held her hand out. "Keys." Liam frowned but retrieved the set from his pocket regardless. "And do me a favor." His eyebrow raised. "Call him."

Following his former teammates and their girlfriends to their car, Liam complied and selected his number. It rolled over again and he sighed. "Hey, it's me again. So," he paused, "so I'm going to a party right now. I think...I was kinda' hoping you'd come. But you're not picking up again and I...I'll see you around."

"Everything okay?" Phoebe said from the middle seat next to him once they finally clambered in.

"Yeah," Liam simply said. He stared out of the window of Brandon Smiley's short car, not really paying attention to where they were going. They got only a mile down the road when Liam's phone buzzed.

 _Where?_ was all the text read. The tension in Liam's shoulders seemed to slack in one single turn around. He sighed and typed out the location, even Phoebe glancing to see that Liam was actually brighter than the last she glanced. When they pulled up 20 minutes later to the rundown firehouse, Liam could hear the music and feel the base the moment one of the car doors opened. He followed behind the two couples, paying his way in at the door. The base vibrated through his feet once he found himself upstairs. The music took over his ears, the lights his eyes. The electricity made him feel a little more alive, more than he had since he'd been back. Save for one thing, one night.

Liam waited near the entrance for nearly 30 minutes before considering leaving. He had considered calling Mason, wondering if they would join him, but that would require more out of him than he had; he wasn't even sure he wanted to be there. The beta looked around again, catching a glance at the far wall that shook him. The glance, and the song. _Orion_ was playing. He hadn't given it two notices, but there, at the far wall, he could have sworn he saw Brett Talbot dancing.

"What's wrong?" Theo said, finally materializing. Liam seemed to blink out of a trance and looked at Theo. The chimera's presence registered. He turned to leave. "Hey. Hey! Talk to me." Liam glared at him. "Okay, wrong choice of words."

"You think?"

"It's just, something happened that night and..."

Liam, however, looked back at that wall. The tall boy with his back to them had the same build, the same height, the same hair. The werewolf could sense another supernatural in there with them. It could be Brett, but it couldn't…

"Liam?"

The beta looked at Theo, then back at the boy, who'd turned their way. It wasn't him. He looked back at Theo and pulled him in for a kiss. It was hard. Hot. Wet. Liam bit at his bottom lip after pulling away, their foreheads together. "Just dance with me?"

"Yeah." Theo subconsciously nuzzled their noses together before taking his hand and leading him into the dance mix. They danced close. They danced tight. They let their hands move freely on each other. Let their lips dance just far enough away to feel the air move between them. "I'm sorry," Theo whispered.

"You're here," Liam whispered back.

Theo nuzzled him again before Liam pushed close and kissed him. Theo pulled him closer by the back of his neck. Liam's hands rested just above his ass underneath his shirt. Theo's tongue pushed out first, prodding at the crease of the werewolf's lips. Just as he let him in, though, he felt it.

The buzzing in his pocket.

Liam pulled apart. He looked at the screen to see six missed calls and a text message from Mason and Alec of all people. The message simply read: PICK UP! Liam tapped the dial for Alec's number and waited, sneaking through the crowd to get to a point where he could; he had Theo's hand in his own.

"Where are you?" Alec said once he answered.

"At a party," Liam said, his brow furrowed. Theo was looking at him, half confused, half listening. "What's going on."

"There was an explosion. You need to get up here, to the hospital in Davis. Scott's unconscious."


	2. Condition Obscure

Theo had no sooner parked when Liam was running toward the emergency room entrance. Once through the double doors he nearly collided with a nurse leading a man with a broken arm from the waiting room. Spotting the front desk, he hurried over. "I'm looking for Scott McCall's room."

"I'll be with you in a minute," the older woman grumbled, tapping at the keyboard and looking back and forth between it and a chart next to it.

"This is kind of urgent."

"Son, if there's a patient here, there's nothing you can do that our team can't."

"Scott McCall. His room. Then I'll be out of your hair," Liam said, glaring right back at her.

"Jesus, Liam," Theo said, walking up behind him. "Those two seconds wouldn't have mattered."

"Looking to be 20 _minutes_ at this rate," Liam sassed.

"Okay, that's gonna' get us nowhere," the chimera said, seeing the nurse's face. "Sorry about him," Theo continued, side stepping the werewolf. "He gets nightmares about hospitals so he's always a bit of an ass the moment he arrives. My dad's a surgeon so I understand how it can be with patients and their family. Scott's his brother and we just drove up from LA. We'd really appreciate it if you could direct us to his room and we'll be on our way; you don't have to spend the next who knows how long with him."

The nurse raised her eyebrow but surprisingly looked back at the screen, clicked a few buttons with the mouse, and tapped at the keyboard. "Names?"

"I'm Theo Raeken and this is Liam Dunbar."

"Follow the signs to the ICU. Room 308. Your names are on the list. There's a security check so have your IDs."

"Thank you so much," Theo said with a warm smile. Turning to Liam, he yanked his head to follow. Liam complied, exchanging a look with the woman.

"She bought your bullshit less than I did," Liam said when they were further down the hall. "Liar."

"And yet we're no longer stuck at the desk are we?" he retorted. They looked at each other, Theo smirking.

"Ass," Liam said, turning the corner and pausing, spotting the tall man down the hall with a blue jacket with big yellow 'FBI' letters on the back.

"You like mine," Theo said, slapping Liam's and passing him, proceeding towards the man. Liam glared at the back of his head as he followed. "We're on the list."

"IDs?" the man said throatily. The pair handed them over and after cross checking the agent handed them back. "His parents are in there now and he's not allowed anymore right now. The rest of your friends or family are in the cafeteria.

Liam and Theo exchanged looks before Theo nodded and dragged the werewolf along with him.

"Liam?" Melissa said, the door having opened.

"Ms. McCall," the boy said, hurrying over to her and embracing her. "How are you?"

She shook her head. When she pulled away, though, she wiped the tears out of her eyes and forced a smile. "Do you wanna' see him real quick?" Liam nodded. She led him inside and there, sitting in a chair on the far side of the bed, was Scott's father. Argent was standing against the corner away from the bed by the window, smiling softly at Liam. And Scott, he looked like he did on the day they tried to catch the Benefactor, only less pale and more burned.

She led him closer and Liam looked down at his alpha, a numbing feeling taking over before rage swelled in him. "It's okay," Argent said and Liam knew his eyes were glowing through his scowl.

He closed them and let the rage dissipate. He looked down at him and reached out, taking his hand. Their veins began to blacken, the dose of pain shooting up from Scott and into his beta. He pulled away and Melissa took his hand. They exchanged a look and he hugged her once again.

Liam found Theo in the hall, leaning against the wall, ankles and arms crossed. "You okay?" he said as he pushed himself up straight.

Liam kept walking, though. He made for where they came, looking for the rest of the pack. "I'm gonna' kill whoever did this."

Theo smiled. "Only if you let me help."

/ | * | * | \

"How do we know it wasn't Monroe?" Liam heard come from inside the cafeteria. Theo pushed open the double doors and Liam followed. "Now he arrives," Brenden said, Liam's rival in the pack as he was Scott's third beta-by-bite.

"Oh give it a rest, B," Jessie said, a werewolf recruited after Alec. Liam surveyed the room and saw that Alec was there with his friends, most of who Liam had only ever had one interaction with. The other recruits were there, too, including Kenny, who was inconsolable despite Chloe's attempts.

"She was on guard," Mason said, looking at Liam looking at his fellow beta. "You good?" Liam nodded, walking over to his best friend, Corey, and Hayden.

"Should he really be here?" Brenden said, eyeing Theo. "It could've been him for all we know."

"Why don't you take a walk," Hayden said, getting up to her feet.

"Bombs aren't really my style," Theo said, having redirected from following Liam to getting close to the abrasive detractor.

"He was with me anyway, so fuck you," Liam said.

"Whatever you say, blue eyes."

Liam was on his feet and rushing. Theo was the first to grab him before Hayden blocked him and Corey caught his other arm. Jessie stepped in front of Brenden, glaring down at the shorter beta. The others had all made moves as well when Kenny looked up at them and yelled. "Just stop it!"

Brenden stormed out, slamming one of the double doors behind him. "I'm gonna' go make sure he doesn't do anything stupid," Jessie said before darting after him. The pack exchanged looks all around, some of them making gestures of fatigue and frustration.

"So what exactly happened?" Theo said, patting Liam's shoulder before turning to look at Mason.

"Scott was meeting his advisor at a bar. Restaurant?"

"Pub," Corey offered.

"Pub. He was there for less than a minute when there was an explosion. Eighteen casualties. Forty-two casualties."

"Did you see anything suspicious?" Liam said, turning to Kerry.

"Just a man. A blond guy," Kerry said through her throatal sobs.

"And you told the cops?" Liam said, receiving a nod. "Did he seem like a hunter?"

"I don't know."

"Liam, we've already been through this," Mason said, looking at the shame Kerry continued to exhibit.

"Hence what we walked in on about Monroe," Theo offered.

"Hey guys," Argent said, walking into the room. "There's too many of you for a motel and Scott...we don't know when he'll wake up. You can all go home, but the hospital did offer up a a waiting room for us all to get some sleep. As long as chairs are alright."

"We'll make do," Hayden said, looking at him gratefully.

/ | * | * | \

Liam woke to being jabbed in the arm. He opened his mouth to argue when he saw Mason jerking his head for him to follow. The duo slipped out of the dark room and started down the hall. "What's wrong?" Liam asked, rubbing his eyes. "Is it Scott?"

"No change. He's still...yeah," Mason said.

"What is it?"

"I…" Mason paused. Liam looked down at his phone, noting that he'd gotten a mere four hours of sleep. "I'm...I'm not trying to be an ass, but where were you tonight?" Liam didn't answer. He simply looked away, slipping his phone back into his pocket. "Liam, you can talk to me. Whatever it is. I know...I know everything with China is still fresh, and that we haven't actually sat down and talked about it, but just know that you can." Liam still didn't answer. "And if...if it's something else...dude, I'm your best friend. I'm here."

"Mason, I…" Liam stopped himself, feeling the numbing feeling return.

"We don't have to right now," Mason offered.

"No. Just...I need a sec." Liam stopped in the middle of a hallway and let himself slide down to the floor, bending his knees up. Mason did the same opposite him, looking down at his hands. "I've been coping. I guess. No more attacks…for now. Jayna took me to the movies today. Finally got around to seeing _Deadpool 2_."

"Epic, right?" Mason said with a wide grin, earning one from Liam.

The werewolf paused, thinking back at the film. His expression deteriorated, though, as his thoughts wandered back to his feelings. The impetus for the movie. "Mason...something else happened."

"In China?"

Liam shook his head. "Since I've been back." He paused again, looking down.

"Whatever it is you can tell me."

"I know. I've just been struggling with how." Liam looked down the hall, suddenly focused on the nurse leading a shuffling patient with a mobile IV. "I'm...seeing someone," he said, turning back to his friend. "I think."

"Okay..."

"I...it's a guy." Mason's expression didn't change, furthering Liam to look away for the next part. "It's...it's Theo." When an infinite number of seconds passed and Mason didn't respond, Liam glanced up at him. His expression was still the same. "Mase?"

"I'm glad you told me. I guess...I guess I'd considered that was what was going on? I wasn't sure and I only thought about it once." The human looked down at his hands for a few seconds. "I'm happy you came out to me, whatever that means for you. I'm thrilled actually. You're my best friend and I...I want you to be happy. To be yourself." Mason took a deep breath, even closed his eyes. "Liam, have you considered he could be using you to get at Scott again?" he asked, only opening his eyes after finishing his words.

"No. I haven't," the werewolf answered softly.

"Don't you think you should?"

"No, 'cuz I kissed him first."

"Oh."

"You thought he seduced me?" Mason nodded. "He didn't. I mean, I'm almost positive."

Okay." A pause sat between them, neither of them looking at each other. "You really like him don't you?" Liam nodded, sharing in the eye contact. "Fuck," Mason said, looking away. The werewolf waited, hoping the human would explain. His friend turned back to him, letting out a seemingly stressful deep breath. "I'll try then; for you."

Liam only beamed.

"I know it's cliché," Mason started, standing up and the werewolf doing the same, "but if he hurts you—"

"Please don't," Liam said with a sigh.

"I'll sick the pack after him."

"Okay." The beta smiled, urging one from the human before him. Mason held out his fist, to which Liam pounded.

"We should, uh, we should get back to the others. See if there's any updates on Scott."

Liam nodded and they made for the waiting room. After rounding only the first corridor, Charlie, another werewolf recruit, spotted them from the end of the hallway. "Hey, the pack's meeting in the cafeteria again," the shyer boy said.

"Something happen?" Liam asked.

"Lydia's here."

/ | * | * | \

Hayden and Lydia were in the middle of an embrace when Liam and Mason found them. Not all of the pack members had arrived yet—most of Alec's friends were the last to straggle in. Lydia spotted the more familiar duo and smiled at them. "They let you in to see him?" Mason asked as she walked over to them.

The banshee nodded. "His mom asked me to go in."

"Are you okay?" Liam said, looking at her shaken body language.

"I will be. When he wakes up."

"And...he's going to?" Mason said wincingly.

"Yes...um, guys!" she said, turning to the room. "Listen, um, let me try and assuage your fears. I'm here because I got a phone call, not a premonition okay. So just, just be there for him okay. We all need to be." She turned away and found a seat.

"Lydia?" Liam said, crouching in front of her and placing a hand over her's.

"I can't lose another one."

"But you said—" Mason began.

"We don't know if she was too far away," Stiles said, walking into the room, Argent behind him.

"You're back," Alec said.

"I've been allowed on Scott's case on a probationary level. Since I'm too close to the vic—since I'm too close to Scott they want me at command for information purposes only. I'm not to be in the field."

"I guess that's where we come in," Brenden said, smiling devilishly.

"Actually, no," Stiles admitted, earning a lot of murmurs and looks. "As for Scott's attacker, you can't get in the way. At all. But, what you can do is link him to Monroe. Alec, you said you think someone's spying on you in San Camilo?"

"Yeah," the youngest of the recruits began. "Toby found something and Noelle confirmed it."

"Okay," Stiles said. "Go home, see what or who you can smoke out. Take Brenden and Charlie with you."

"Who's gonna' stay here and protect Scott while he's unconscious?" Brenden challenged.

"His dad and Argent for now. Plus, Chloe, Jessie, and Kenny are gonna' stay as well." Brenden glared at Kenny but kept his mouth shut. Stiles turned to the junior pack. "They're letting me see my dad before I need to come back up here. Lydia and I need to run an errand while we're down there. Liam, I need you on point for something."

"What is it?" the first of the betas said.

Stiles handed him three passes for a two-day festival. "Pick who you want to go."

"A festival?"

"We found him. The guy who killed Brett and Lori."


	3. The Ease of Falling

Liam could hear them arguing. Subconsciously rather; his hearing was working and the shouting voices of his closest friends were registering somewhere in his brain. But the werewolf was now trapped inside his mind, inside his memories. He remembered it all. The blood on his lips. The content expression. Lori's dying admission of grief., that she couldn't take his pain. He remembered the screech of the tires. The thud on the pavement. His cry out to them.

" _Lori, wait!"_

"Liam."

The werewolf blinked and a few more hot tears escaped. He quickly realized he'd been crying, the stain of salt and flush on his cheeks being one of the first sensations to come back to him. He didn't remember sitting down. And now Theo was crouched in front of him, grasping his calf and shin in his hand.

"Hey, let's get you out of here," the chimera said.

"Is he okay?" Lydia asked.

"Yeah, I got him out of it," Theo responded. He stood, lifting Liam up by his arm.

"Does Scott know about this?" Stiles asked, looking from the pair to Mason.

"He knows about his eyes and what happened," the younger human said. "About how it's affecting him...well, I think it's clear now."

"You good?" Theo said, checking Liam's balance. The werewolf barely nodded, his vision tunneled and distant. "Alright. C'mon."

"We're right behind you," Mason said, looking at Corey and Hayden before watching Theo guide Liam out of the cafeteria.

"What the hell is that?" Stiles said once the door closed.

"They're...together," Mason said, looking around the room.

"Oh this just gets better and better," Brenden said in disbelief.

"Scott already knows," Corey admitted.

"Excuse me, he what?" Stiles said.

"Okay, we're going," Alec said, looking to his friends before they took their exit.

"Who else knows? And how long has this been going on?"

"Stiles, you're not the pack-dad," Hayden said. "You're two years older."

"And you're okay with this. You? His _ex_?"

"Screw you, Stiles," she said before storming out.

"Okay, okay," Lydia said. "You," she continued, pointing her finger in her boyfriend's face, "take it down a notch. I'm gonna' make sure she's okay." Lydia followed after the former chimera.

"Look," Mason said, taking a seat across from the one Stiles fell into, "no one's forgetting what Theo did. We...there's no way we could. Corey and Hayden are reminders...every day. We're reminded that he almost broke us, but we survived. _They_ survived. We stuck together. But, Stiles, after the Beast, you weren't around to see how he helped. And I know you have good reasons why you weren't, but you still didn't see. He was there for us. He was there for Liam, even when _she_ wasn't," he said, his words trailing to a whisper at the end.

"We can't let him back in," Stiles said, his aggression diminished.

"It's not your call," Mason said. "Scott may be down right now, but when he wakes up he's going to tell you the same." The younger human let that sit for a moment before continuing. "Look, Liam needs him and I promised him I'd try. We're not blind, though, and we're gonna' keep an eye on both of them. But if something's gonna' happen—"

"—we need to let it play out," Stiles admitted. "Alright. Fuck. Alright, fine. But both of you, you keep your wits about you. You watch them both."

"We will," Corey affirmed.

/ | * | * | \

"Theo?" Liam said, looking over at the driver.

"You're awake," Theo said, smiling softly at him.

"How long was I asleep?"

"Almost the whole way. We just entered the city limits. Starbucks?"

"Mm." Liam watched as the familiar surroundings of Beacon Hills started passing by. He rubbed at his temples, feeling the anxiety loiter just behind his eyes. "We need to get my car."

"Tomorrow."

"I don't want to repeat what happened last time," Liam said with a grin.

"Tomorrow," Theo repeated, turning to smile cheekily at him. "Promise." The chimera turned his truck into the 24-hour drive-thru Starbucks close to the highway entrance. Ordering, paying, and placing the hot cups in the console-holsters, he took off down the road.

"So am I spending the night?"

"Um…"

When nothing followed, Liam looked back out the window. "Okay, I guess not," he murmured.

"What about at yours?"

Liam looked over at him. "With my parents?" Theo shrugged. "With no privacy?"

"Your bed's better."

Liam heard the skip in his heartbeat. "Theo, what's wrong with yours?"

"We can talk in your room."

" _Something happened that night_. _"_ "Theo?"

"Please?"

"Okay, yeah. Mine."

Fifteen minutes of silence later, Theo parked on the road in front of the Dunbar household. Grabbing their respective drinks, Liam let them in and found Jayna asleep on the couch, one of the _Harry Potter_ films on a lower volume. The werewolf quietly moved up the stairs, the chimera following as equally silent. They slipped unnoticed into the younger boy's room and Liam made his way to his desk, taking the chair. Theo placed his coffee on the nightstand, kicked off his shoes, and sat cross-legged in the middle of the bed.

"It's hard letting someone in," the chimera began after more silence ensued, looking anywhere except at Liam.

"We can do this in the morning."

"No...I shouldn't have put this off. I shouldn't have ghosted you for two weeks." He paused. "I'm sorry." Liam didn't respond. "The truth is, I've already let you in." They looked at each other and both of them knew that the werewolf had let it go. "I won't make this a long explanation, but you need to know. When I was under...wherever Kira sent me, I saw only one thing. It played on a loop. I'd wake up in the morgue, I'd run, and she'd find me. My sister. And every time she'd plunge her hand in my chest and take her heart back. It didn't matter what I tried to do different, she'd always get her heart back." Theo paused, running his hand through his hair. "After you let me out, I dreamed of her. Every night, all night. And when I'd set foot in a hospital...it was like I was there again."

" _I'm fine. I just thought I was somewhere else for a second."_

" _Where?"_

" _A bad dream."_

"After the hunt," Theo continued, "it got better. The nightmares were less frequent, less vivid. But then, after we fooled around I…she..." The chimera looked at Liam before turning and closing his eyes. "She killed you in front of me."

"Hey. I'm still here. You don't have anything to fear from her."

"It's not fear of her. I know it's not real. It...fuck," he said, teeth clenched and numbness of his own flooding into his fingertips. Liam could see the trembling. He reached out and the older boy had to force himself not to flinch away. "The dream didn't scare me. She doesn't scare me...mostly. But that night, when I woke up, I...I scared me. I wanted to...I wanted to…" Theo could feel his heart racing, almost as if the beating was rocking him back and forth.

"You wanted to kill me," Liam said. Theo met his gaze, inadvertently letting the werewolf see the pain and disgust in his eyes. The shame. The chimera looked away, taking a deep breath. Liam withdrew his hand, only to get up and get on the bed. He laid down on his side facing the door. "Come down here." Theo complied and found himself face-to-face with the younger boy. Liam reached out and combed his fingers through the hair just above the other's ear. He ran the back of his fingers down his cheek, letting Theo's eyes to close. "Turn over." The chimera turned, facing the same direction as the other. Liam scooted up behind him and wrapped their bodies together, resting his face against the back of his hair. "Don't dream."

/ | * | * | \

"I appreciate you taking the time," Stiles said, sitting on the couch next to Lydia, looking at a familiar face in the chair across from them. "How are you, Jasper?"

The man their age sat wrapped in on himself. "You sure you're up for this?" came an older voice, standing nearby.

"Can you give us a moment, dad?" Jasper said. "I promise I'm okay."

"Yeah. I'll, uh, be out in the garage." Jasper's father excused himself and Lydia smiled softly at the younger man.

"Today's pretty," Jasper said.

"You saw the news?" Stiles said, earning a nod from the other. "Scott's gonna' be fine. It's not your fault."

"You don't know that. You don't know either of those things," he said, more volatile.

"Okay, you're right. I don't know if Scott's gonna' wake up. But she does."

Lydia and Jasper looked at each other and the banshee forced a reassuring smile. "It's true. You know about us, what I am. He's gonna' be alright."

Jasper took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "So, we're here unofficially," Stiles said. "Especially me. I need to ask you another question if that's alright. The FBI might be here soon and will probably ask you the same thing, but we're trying to get ahead of this."

"I'll do what I can."

"When Monroe held you, do you remember a blond man? Shoulder length hair. Maybe 6'1"? Bearded. Slightly toned build?"

"Maybe? I'm...I'm not sure."

"Did anyone ever address him by name if you there was such a man?"

"You think he attacked Scott?" Jasper said, sitting forward.

"Maybe," Stiles said. "We don't have any camera footage yet, but there was a witness."

Jasper sat back. "I don't know, Stiles. I just...everything's so hazy and—"

"It's okay," Lydia said. "We know you're still recovering. It was a longshot and we don't want to push it."

"They just...they kept me there and...I don't know."

"We'll keep looking, then," Stiles said, standing. The other two followed. "It was good seeing you."

"If anything comes back to me I'll let you know," Jasper said.

"Thanks and, uh, don't tell anyone else we were here."

"Yeah." He looked at Lydia and nodded as they left.

Stiles opened her door, closed it behind her, and got into the driver's seat. "I still don't understand why Monroe took them," Lydia said.

"They were on the lacrosse team with us. Easy targets close to Scott."

"I know that. I'm talking about the real why. They were held for a year and we never received demands. Monroe knew they weren't leverage enough for Scott. He wasn't gonna' fly off to Europe just to save four guys he only kind of knew. We're missing something."

"Maybe I'll drop you at Quantico on the way back to the east coast," Stiles said, grinning wide before leaning over and kissing her.

"Don't be stupid," she said, lightly slapping his cheek. "I've got a few cosmic puzzles to solve first."

"Mm," he noised before kissing her again.

/ | * | * | \

Theo stirred, feeling the hand motionlessly glide across his stomach under his shirt as he moved. He opened his eyes to see Liam looking right at him, an endearing smile across his lips. "Morning," the chimera said, smiling back at him.

"Morning," the werewolf relied, his thumb sliding back and forth in Theo's treasure trail. "Feel a little better?"

"Mm. Yeah."

"No nightmares?"

Theo reached his hand up and brushed his fingers under Liam's neck. "None." The werewolf nuzzled into the sensation, closing his eyes. "Feeling better?"

"You stayed, so yeah."

Theo rolled onto his side, his hand moving up to Liam's cheek to pull him into a kiss. Their lips teased each other, daring the other to truly deepen the mood. After a moment, though, it was simply their noses that rested against each other, their eyes closed or peaked. Theo started to fall asleep under the warmth, the sensation breath on his lips the only thing keeping him from falling under. It wasn't until they heard the garage door leading into the house shut rather harshly that Liam finally spoke.

"We should get up," the werewolf said, rubbing his hand up the older boy's back, forcing his shirt to ride up more.

"It's simpler here," the chimera said, shifting his feet to entangle with the younger boy's.

"Yeah."

Neither boy moved, letting it all settle back in. The master bedroom door closed and Theo opened his eyes to look at Liam. Those green-blues were staring back at him. "Do we have to?"

"We really should." Liam glanced down at Theo's revealed skin, at the peak of abs and fuzz. He looked back up into the other's eyes and caressed his hand down the other's back. "You could join me."

"Where?"

Liam leaned forward and kissed the tip of Theo's nose before getting up. Divulging himself of his shirt, he walked into the bathroom clad in only a pair of black boxer briefs. The sound of the shower turning on reached Theo's ears as he sat up and he could hear the snap of a waistband before the curtain was drawn back a moment later. "You coming?" Theo smirked and was naked before crossing the threshold between the rooms.


	4. Innervation

"We'll be back tonight, sweetheart," Pamela said, hugging her son tightly.

"Just let me know when you're on your way," Liam said. "We've got a thing tonight and possibly tomorrow."

"Okay. Please look after yourselves."

"Of course, mom," Liam said, trading cheek kisses with her as she pulled away.

Mark stepped in for his own hug. "Thank you for telling us. I expect to hear more about what's really been going on when we get back."

"I...okay."

Jayna opened the bathroom door and stepped out. "You...I expect you in one piece when I get back." She kissed Liam's forehead and looked at Theo, pointing at him just as threateningly as she had at her nephew. "And you, I expect you to look after him."

"Always," Theo said, smiling when she swatted at his cheek.

"Hey, dad?" Liam started, causing him to stop with the screen door pushed against him. "If anything changes...or happens…"

"You'll be my first call," Dr. Geyer said. "But he'll be fine," he said, offering a warm smile.

Liam nodded and the three resident adults took their leave to the car. Liam watched from the screen as they piled in the car. Theo walked up behind him and wrapped his arms around his waist, resting his chin on his shoulder. "Will you be here when I tell them about Monroe?"

"You know I will." Theo watched as the car backed out of the driveway before taking off down the road. "We should talk first, though."

"About?" Liam said, taking the front door in hand and closing it. He walked over to the couch and fell into it with his full body.

Theo took a seat on the coffee table. "Brett." Liam gave him a daring glare. "We don't have to do it now, but I suspect you've never talked to anyone about it." Liam looked away, gazing over toward the stairs with glowing blue eyes. "Alright. I'm gonna' make some lunch." He stood up, bent over, kissed Liam's lips, and walked into the kitchen. "We can get your car after," he called out, opening the refrigerator.

/ | * | * | \

"I know it's under crap conditions, but I'm glad you came to see me," Noah Stilinski said, patting Stiles' shoulder. "Parrish has started bringing me...salads. I needed this."

"Good," Stiles said, eyebrows high and face aglow, "I asked him to."

"You did what?" the sheriff said, loud enough to force the woman in front of them to turn and give them the side glance. Lydia, however, stared right back.

"Barbeque and...everything isn't good for you. We've talked about this."

"Why're you trying to ruin my life?"

"Save, dad, I think you mean save."

"I'm ordering my own lunch."

"Mm hmm...sure."

"Stiles."

"Technically, I outrank you now," Stiles said.

"Ah, let me see your badge real quick," his father said. Stiles dug out the leather and handed it to him. The sheriff opened it, glanced at the ID card and the shiny metal opposite it. He quickly stuffed it in his pocket. "Now I'm ordering my own lunch."

Stiles frowned. He turned around to look back at Lydia, only to see a familiar face several people behind in the line. Oliver Rooney was looking down at his feet, listening to a significantly shorter woman talking to him with a frustrated expression, a man taller than Oliver behind them making a face. Stiles looked for longer than intended and his former roommate looked up. Stiles attempted a smile, even a wave, and Oliver's face went white. Stiles' expression diminished into confusion and it was then that Oliver screamed. Before the entire restaurant could turn and look, he was out the door and before Stiles could reach the metal passage chasing after him it happened. A crash, a thud, a skid of tires. Stiles came to a halt on the walkway leading into the building. He, like the man that was presumably Oliver's father, was staring at the still body in the road some ten feet in front of the construction truck.

/ | * | * | \

Theo made the familiar turns to the old firehouse. Liam hadn't said a word since his parents left and being next to him in the truck was no different. The chimera kept his radio off, unsure of how to approach the firecracker next to him. When they came upon the abandoned building, the werewolf's car was the only one near its vicinity. Theo parked the truck behind him and Liam immediately unbuckled before grabbing at the door handle.

"So that's how we're doing this?" Theo said, pushing back against his seat. They exchanged a look before Liam continued to get out. Theo looked away out his window waited for the door to close. When it did, the older boy felt that rise within him. He got out of the truck and stepped in front of Liam before he could successfully cross between the vehicles towards his car.

"I'll see you at the festival," Liam said, "We need to go."

"That's it? After more than an hour?"

"We can talk later, after I kill him." Liam pushed by him, tapping at the auto unlock. The werewolf opened the driver's door, only for a hand to slam it close. He reared on Theo, only to find himself pushed hard against the car and a pair of lips crushed to his. The pain was shared between them, their teeth digging into the soft flesh between the force. Theo brought his hand into Liam's hair, raking through it before pulling away completely.

"Fine," Theo said, glaring back at the slightly shorter boy before getting back into his truck. Liam's eyes followed Theo until the door slammed closed. He looked away, pushed off, and punched the top of the frame before getting into his car. Theo could see the second punch at the steering wheel. There was a pause. He could sense the rage dip. The car in front of him started up and Theo followed.

/ | * | * | \

Jordan pushed the pen through the spiral before shoving the notepad in his pocket. "Officially, we would follow up with Eichen House to see if Oliver ever filed any complaints against you."

"And unofficially?" Lydia said, arms around a face cradling Stiles.

"We know there isn't even if he did make a complaint. Eichen House has been purged of anything supernatural, even any records of occurrences."

"Including when I... _he_ attacked him?" Stiles said into his hands.

"Even that." Jordan looked over at the sheriff, taking the truck driver's statement while another deputy attended to the Rooneys' statement. "Look, Stiles, I have to ask. What the hell is going on? First Scott…"

"We're still trying to figure that out," Lydia said, squeezing at the back of her boyfriend's neck. "We need to go."

"Where?" Jordan said.

"To see if there's a pattern," Stiles said. "Are we good?"

"Yeah." Stiles took out his keys. "Good to see you, Lydia."

"You too." The couple started walking towards the car. Lydia took the keys from him and got in the driver's seat. Stiles dug out his phone as he clambered in, typing out a message to his father. "I was hoping we'd never have to go back there."

Stiles clicked 'Send' and looked up at the redhead. He took her hand, brought it to his lips, and kissed the back of it. "We'll be fine. We just need some answers"

Lydia started them down the road, away from the accident, from the restaurant, from downtown Beacon Hills. When they found themselves at the familiar eerie building, they exchanged a silent look. Stiles grabbed Lydia's hand as they started their way in, not letting go of it even when they walked up to the front desk. "Name?" the young attendant said in that familiar apathetic drawl.

"Special Agent Stilinski," Stiles said, flashing his badge he got back from his father. "Would you let Ms. Morrell know we're here to see her."

/ | * | * | \

Liam and Theo continued to walk silently down the sidewalk, the density of people increasing with every step. The barrage of chemo signals was too much for them, forcing them to block the inputs. The smell of cigarettes and joints dominated the air around them, followed all too closely by the smell of sweat that had already begun to perspire despite the festival not even being underway. After rounding a corner, the duo set their sights on Mason, Corey, and Hayden up ahead.

"Hey," Mason said, bumping fists with Liam.

"Stiles only gave you three tickets?" Corey said. Liam simply nodded, digging into wallet for them. "Well there's five of us, so…"

"You and Hayden are gonna' patrol the perimeter," the werewolf said, shoving his fingers into the pouch and making a face as he'd yet to locate them.

"I don't know how much good I'll be in there," Mason said.

"This is Gerard's man, not Monroe's," Liam said, finally pulling them and looking seriously up at his friends. "I need a spy and muscle out here in case there's more hunters. This could be a trap. Mason, you're gonna' park yourself somewhere. Act like you're on the phone. Theo and I are gonna' keep our hearing tuned so you call what you see. Anomalies. Hunters."

"Harper," Mason affirmed, earning a nod from Liam.

"I resent not being considered 'muscle,'" Corey grumbled.

"Follow in after us," Liam said, handing his best friend a ticket. "We ready?"

With the pack set, Liam and Theo got in line. Mason kissed his boyfriend before getting behind a number of people that had already joined the line. He looked ahead at Liam and Theo. He sensed it when they first walked up and he definitely sensed it now. Their body language. Their expressions. _This isn't going to go well,_ he thought.

/ | * | * | \

"In what capacity are you here today, Stiles?" Morrell said, leaned back in her office chair. "As the special agent or the patient?"

"I would say the emissary, but—"

"You don't exactly know what that entails," she offered.

"I was going to say it would be rude, but maybe that's what we'll go with as I'm all out of my usual charm today."

"Stiles," Lydia warned.

"What can I do for you?" Morrell said, seemingly unphased.

"Oliver Rooney just committed suicide," Stiles said.

"I've heard."

"I'd like to see his file and anything you can share about him."

"Now you see why I asked the question."

"I'm not...I'm asking on behalf of the Bureau," he said, taking out his badge and placing it face down on the desk. "I'm asking on behalf of Scott."

"Do you have a theory?"

"A working one. I need more of the pieces. What was Oliver being treated for?"

"You never discussed it while you were here?"

"We never discussed it."

"He was—"

_Ring, ring._

"Good afternoon," Morrell said after bringing the phone to her ear.

…

"It's no trouble, Mr. Allen. Tell Jasper that I hope he feels better and I'll see him next week."

"Jasper?" Stiles' face went white, his eyes widening. "When was the last time Oliver was in Eichen House?" he said as the former emissary hang up.

"He never stopped," Morrell said.

Stiles stood, the chair scraping backward. Lydia followed him, Morrell not much further behind them.

/ | * | * | \

Liam and Theo stopped near the side of the strip of food vendors. Liam spotted Mason get into the line furthest from them, looking intent on getting a drink. The werewolf tore his eyes away to look around. He surveyed the main gathering within the grounds, how it funneled people towards some of the smaller areas reserved for food, shopping, and bathrooms, each away from the large corridor towards the stage. A band was already playing, some ska opening-act Liam didn't recognize. He looked over toward it, their elevated vantage giving him more access to see clearer. In the process, though, he saw Theo was only looking at him. He looked away, even pushing off the wall he was leaning against to get those few feet closer to the crowd.

"I'm sorry," Theo said, walking up behind him.

Liam quickly looked at him, aghast. "Did you hit your head?"

The chimera frowned. "Like you said, I'm trying."

The werewolf looked his face over. He reached out his hand and took Theo's into his own. "You...I'm actually the one that's sorry. Brett's a touchy subject for me." The lights around the venue suddenly turned on, the sky darkening by the minute, the sun just under the horizon.

"I know," Theo said, rubbing at his jaw with his free hand, a smirk on his lips.

"Yeah, you do," Liam said, smirking back. He looked down at their links hand, smile fading.

"It's why I'm apologizing. You know this whole socializing-communication-relationship shit is foreign to me. I'm destined to trip over a lot of wires if this is gonna' work."

"Relationship?" Liam said, looking back up at Theo's face with a grin.

"Something like that," Theo said, grinning back and taking a step closer.

"Only something?" Liam said before kissing him. Theo deepened it, grabbing hold of the shorter boy's waist and prodding his lips with his tongue. Liam let out a huff of air through his nose as he granted the older boy entrance. Theo let out a noise, subtle save for Liam's ears. When the werewolf breathed in, however, he picked it up. That _familiar scent._ Through the thick haze of smells that loitered and churned, through the arousal and lust emanating between them, he could sense him.

Liam pulled back. Theo expected a look of lust, pleasure at least; instead he saw the anger just before he felt the rise. Heard his heartbeat jump in pace. Liam was looking around and Theo followed. And then Liam was walking. The chimera naturally followed, a moment passing before he spotted the werewolf's prey. Harper Graham was walking through a thick of people, making for one of the side alleys. They stalked him to a men's restroom building, far secluded from the crowds.

"How do you want to do this?" Theo whispered.

/ | * | * | \

Stiles burst into his old room and found it unoccupied. He glanced around in a frenzy. He moved over to Oliver's old bed, looking under it, under the mattress, under the pillow, feeling the sheets. He moved to repeat the same inspection on his own former bed. "Stiles?" Lydia said, stopping in the doorway, Morrell right behind her. "Stiles!"

"Something's wrong," Stiles said, finished looking over the bed before turning to the blinds-covered windows. He pulled them up and, finding nothing, gazed out across the courtyard and into the near-darkened sky. "I can feel it, I just...fuck!" He started to rub at the tension formed just above his eyes.

Lydia walked over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Scott's gonna' wake up."

"You don't know that."

"Tell me your theory, Stiles," Morrell said, walking into the room and closing the door.

"Monroe kidnapped Jasper, brainwashed him. He came back to the States after he was rescued, came home. He started coming here. He met Oliver. Told him his plan...something. Oliver freaked and…" He paused and let out an exasperated sigh. "It's on the tip of my tongue, this piece, I just…"

"Maybe this is what you're looking for," Morrell said. Stiles and Lydia turned to look at her as she stepped to the side, away from blocking view of the inside of the door. Stiles and Lydia both went pale as they looked upon the vandalized wood.

 _Bzz, bzz_.

Stiles jammed his hand in his pocket, finding his cellphone. He looked at the text message. "No...no, no, no." He dug out another phone, his own phone, and tapped at it, finding Liam's name under contacts. He tapped to call him, bringing the phone to his ear. "Fuck!" He switched to the messenger when Liam didn't answer. His fingers moved urgently.

/ ABORT /

Liam walked into the bathroom to find that it was empty. He looked around, eyes aglow and hunting. He spotted the pathway into a second room of stalls and the second entrance/exit. He pursued, ignoring the hissed _wait_ behind him. He rounded the corner immediately gasped.

"I almost had you that night," the older hunter said before taking his hand from the handle of the dagger embedded in the werewolf's abdomen and thrusting at the hilt. Liam tripped over his feet as he fell backward. Harper took a quick step back, simultaneously drawing a revolver from under his shirt. "It's Theo, isn't it? I can see the yellow glow reflecting off the wall."

Theo stepped out into the open, fully transformed, teeth bared. "I'm gonna' kill you," Liam said, trying his best to stand.

The chimera glanced back at the younger boy. He looked at the glistening dagger. He saw how deep it was. He could smell the potency of the aconite. He felt the rise. Embraced it. "Sorry, Li." Theo whipped around and evaded. The bullet grazed his shoulder. His claw was in Harper's chest. He was on top of him. The gun was out of their reach. He felt the surge in his jaw, making his mouth water. He struck at Harper's face. Then his chest. His neck. His shoulder. His collar. His neck. His face. His neck. His neck. His neck. His neck. He felt the light movement of air around them. He felt the sensation of drops of cold on his face. He felt the blood. He looked at his hands, his claws and the carmine warmth covering them. He looked back down at the lifeless body under him, at his face. His nose pulsed. He snarled. He roared. It was good. It was sweet. It was _good_.

The lights around the festival grounds suddenly shut off. Gunshots followed on cue near the stage. Automatic fire. "Liam?" Theo said, looking back toward his wounded partner.

"I was hoping I'd meet the real you," said a voice in the darkness, his words articulated through a pair of fangs.

Theo pushed himself back up to his feet, the infrared still revealing no one. "Show yourself." He glanced down at Liam, his heart skipping as he saw the boy was still only a few feet away.

"This game involves two _worthy_ generals," the voice said. "We'll see if you're a worthy opponent like they say. I hope you are. I've never lost this one."

Theo looked around frantically, his ears still finding nothing until he saw the spark. He focused and saw that it was the end of a severed power cord on the ground. He tried looking back towards Liam, only to feel the full might of the missing end whipped across his chest. His whole body flew across the grass until he hit the perimeter wall. All the red became black.


	5. Scars of Battle

_Theo watched her writhing-crawl towards him. She grabbed his shin, his thigh, his wrist, his shoulder. She looked him right in the eye. "You deserve this," Tara said, her foul breath lingering. She looked behind her brother. He followed her gaze, spotting Liam on the ground behind them. She shoved him aside. He cried out to her, pleading for her to stop, to not touch him. He looked at Liam as she clambered on top of the younger boy. Liam looked at him, fear encumbering his gaze. "Liam!" Theo shouted._

"Liam!" the chimera shouted, his vision and consciousness returning to him. Corey was leaning over him, the other chimera's hands doubled up on his chest.

"He's awake!" Corey yelled, looking away from his former alpha.

Theo took a deep strained breath inward and sat up. He looked around, spotting Hayden and Mason lifting Liam to rest between them, his arms over their shoulders. He was unconscious. "Good, let's go!" Mason yelled back.

"Can you stand?" Corey said to the boy next to him. Theo tried getting to his feet, yet they soon gave out at as the painful tingling coursing through him came to the fore. "Okay, okay." Corey grabbed the other by his armpits and lifted. He rested one of Theo's arms over his own shoulders and the pack slowly made their way towards the crowd, up ahead.

There was a panic. Most people were pushing and running and constantly looking behind themselves towards the stage. That's when Theo remembered the shooting. That's when he heard the gunshots again. That's when the screams followed. He could hear the footsteps of the shooter. No, shooter _s_. They were far enough away, too slow, almost pacing, to be a threat to them at that point. They joined the crowd, doing their best to remain apart just enough not to be noticed but still get out as hurriedly as possible.

"The...the body…" Theo tried, his voice strained by his tingling vocal cords and numb tongue and painful teeth.

"Nothing we can do now," Mason said, his voice breathless.

"The voice…"

"What voice?" Hayden said, looking over her shoulder at the chimeras.

"Something else...out there…"

"Stiles' text, maybe?" Mason said. "'Abort.'"

"The cell network is still flooded," Corey said, holding up his phone.

"Liam first, then we can get to a wi-fi connection," Hayden said. They rounded the corner of the entrance to head for their cars just as the deputies' sirens appeared down the road likely accompanied by ambulances.

"I'll drive Theo," Corey offered.

"We'll be right behind you," Mason said as they got Liam to his car.

"Clinic," Theo said, his eyes starting to droop.

"We know," Corey said, shuffling the chimera further down the sidewalk.

/ | * | * | \

The man was leaned over, his elbows digging into his thighs and his hands tightly wound in his greasy hair. He was sobbing, rocking back and forth. He was still garbed in his bright yellow shirt, necessary for the construction site. He couldn't believe he'd ended up here: behind bars with a kid dead in the road, one he'd killed. He didn't him. He came out of nowhere. It was just a perfect confluence of timing.

And yet…

He'd killed him. He didn't even know the boy's name. He cared. That was the only question he had. His name. He had to know. He had to make amends. He never wanted to kill anyone. He wasn't that type of person. He never meant for any of this to happen. He hated that this happened. He hated that a life had ended.

Because of him.

"Because of you," a voice said.

It wasn't his own. He hadn't heard the door open. He looked up. In place of a deputy the voice was coming from a young man. "Who are you? You're not...one of his family?"

The young man smiled at him closed lips. "No, I'm not."

"Then who—"

"I'm an interested third party." The young man walked up to the door to the holding cell.

"I don't understand."

The young man took hold of the bars and pulled open the door. The driver of the truck within looked stunned, eyes drying as they widened. Like a reaction to hot sauce he could feel his nose clear almost instantaneously. "I have a thing," he began, slowly walking closer toward the man, "for chaos, strife, and pain." He held out his hand the back of it facing the man. His nails elongated into claws. The older man froze, shock taking over to prevent him from backing up in fear against the wall let alone run. The younger man took one finally step before leaning over and with two clawed hands he grabbed the sides of the other's skull. "And I haven't tasted it them in such. A long. Time." He smiled wide at the man, mouth open, revealing his glistening silver fangs.

/ | * | * | \

"Get him on the table," Deaton said, putting on gloves as he watched Mason and Hayden come through the door separating the examination room and the front. "What happened?" he said, noting the dagger jammed in the werewolf's chest.

"I...I don't know," Mason said, panic starting to settle in.

"It was a setup," Hayden affirmed. "We were at the festival," she continued as the veterinarian began cutting through Liam's shirt. "Stiles gave us a lead about Brett and Lori's killer. We had a plan but—"

"He knew we were coming," Theo said, his legs able to move despite requiring continued support from Corey.

"The blade is covered in wolfsbane," Deaton said. "It's good that you decided to leave this in there; his supernatural healing is stunted and if you'd taken it out...well."

"We didn't even think…" Mason said. Corey let go of his fellow chimera to tend to his pale boyfriend, noting the perspiration on his forehead and the shaking of his hands. Theo took to lean on the door frame.

"What happened to you?" Deaton said, taking a glance at Theo as he got to work on the boy before him.

"There's something else out there," Theo said, looking at the blood now seeping out of the center of his boyfriend's chest.

"Something, not someone," Hayden said.

"It was just a voice. Had a mouthful of fangs. I couldn't see it and it sounded like it was coming from every direction. It hit me with something electric. High voltage."

"There was a broken power chord nearby," Corey confirmed.

"Kinda' wish I had Josh's power still," Theo said. Hayden and Corey looked at him with the same dark expression for a moment before they both turned their attention elsewhere. "Is he gonna' make it?" he said, trying to slowly make his way to stand next to Liam's unconscious body.

"He should. But here, place your hand alongside the blade. It's time to get this out."

/ | * | * | \

"I'm sorry to disturb you both so late," Stiles said, looking down at the phone on the middle console of his car.

"Your voicemail said it was urgent, Stiles?" Ken Yukimura said, the phone on speaker.

"I don't know if you've heard but Scott was attacked last night. He's currently in a coma."

"We saw something on the news about an explosion but we never...no, we hadn't heard."

"You have a theory, Stiles," Noshiko Yukimura stated.

"We didn't understand the earlier pieces. An eyewitness account of the bomber wasn't enough. But then someone I knew before died. When I was in Eichen House to keep me...you all safe." Stiles paused.

"We found something," Lydia said.

"I think I know who's behind the attack," Stiles said. "Both of them. I don't know what this means," he said, picking up his phone and sending an image to the device on the other end of the call, "but I think it's something that'll mean something to you. And you'll know too." They heard the ding come through the speaker.

"This is Japanese kanji," the kitsune said. " _Kin_. It means gold or money."

"Gold?" Lydia said.

"Yes. Stiles, you think the Nogitsune has returned."

"I do. But now I'm even more confused."

"The last time the Nogitsune was focused on a game called Go," the former history teacher said. "It's primarily about territories. Impersonal. If I'm to understand this message, _kin_ refers to a piece."

"Like, on the board?" Lydia said.

"Precisely. But for a different game: Shōgi."

"Japanese chess," Lydia thought aloud.

"This game is more personal. One-on-one, requiring strategy of only mastery level against this kind of opponent. The piece it's referring to is _kinshō_ , the gold general. There are two and they sit on either side of the king."

"The alpha," Stiles affirmed, running his hand through his hair before scratching anxiously at it.

"And he's not dead. He's unconscious. He's what the Nogitsune would say is _ōte_."

" _Ōte_?" Lydia said.

"Check."

/ | * | * | \

_Liam looked around, his human eyes making out only the faintest of shapes in the dark. He let his eyes glow blue. He knew where he was. There was none of the familiar smell, but he knew. The tunnels. He looked around more closely. His head went numb, starting with a pulse of pain at the bridge of his nose. He was there. He never wanted to be there again but he was. He turned around and there it was. The ladder. Leading up to the street. He closed his eyes. He could hear the faint traffic above. There were no heartbeats. This wasn't that day._

" _Stop!"_

_He knew that voice. It was his voice. But not._

" _Stop hurting her! Stop hurting her! Arghhhh!"_

_Liam ran. He knew where it was coming from. The operation theater was far from here but he could make it. But why? Why this day? And...it wasn't an operation theater anymore. It was an apartment. Theo's apartment. Why this moment? Why now? Why here?_

_He turned the ouroboros plate, revealing the door. He grabbed at the handle and pulled to the side. He dashed in. It was the apartment. There were no huge vats and yellow lights and tubes and medical instruments. There were no Dread Doctors. Hayden wasn't here. Neither was...he? He looked around. It was like he remembered. Recently remembered. Theo's couch. His TV. His computer. His kitchen. His bedroom, as he walked further in. He looked at the sheets, the same from that night. Their first night._

" _Please stop hurting her."_

_Liam whipped around. In the middle of the operating theater was his family. His father looked dead, unconscious at least as he was slumped against one of the pillars. His mother was writhing next to him, hands tied just the same, chest bound around them both around the support beam behind them. She was pleaded, trying to get free to stop him. Him. Theo. He was straddling a woman on the ground. She turned to look at his mom. Her eyes moved to Liam's. Aunt Jayna's eyes._

" _I'm glad to see you, Liam," Theo said, looking at the werewolf, too. He was smiling. Smiling that smile. His eyes were dark and his fangs were showing and his nose was flared. He turned his gaze back downward. He struck at Jayna's face._

" _Stop!"_

_Then her chest. Her neck._

" _Stop hurting her!" He tried to move. Tried to stop him. To save her._

_Her shoulder. Her collar. Her neck._

_Her neck._

_Her neck._

_Her neck._

_Her neck._

_Her neck._

/ | * | * | \

Like every moment of his panic, Stiles burst through the door of the animal clinic. Lydia followed in, followed him back. They had passed Hayden on the way in, likely talking to her sister. They had passed Mason and Corey sitting in the lobby, hunched up together. Inside the examination room, Liam was still spread out across the top of the table. His chest was slowly rising and falling, a large bandage covering the center of his torso. On the far side of the table was Theo, seated in a chair, his head turned to the side and resting on top of his folded arms. He was fast asleep resting right near the injured werewolf's shoulder.

"It's good to see you both," Deaton said, coming out of the storage room holding a jar containing greens, a tentative smile planted on his lips.

"How is he?" Lydia asked, looking over Liam's still form.

"He should pull through without issue," the Druid said, walking over to a cabinet above the counter on the wall dividing the rooms. "It's been a rough 24 hours for this pack. Do you have a lead, or any theories perhaps?"

"You have that look like you already know what's going on," Stiles said.

"I have a theory, yes," Deaton said, gently placing a grounding bowl on the counter next to the jar.

"That's wolf lichen, isn't it?" Stiles said. The veterinarian only smiled. "His name was Jasper Allen. I don't know how it escaped or how it came to possess him. I suspect it's been long enough that it's now in full control. I'm not sure that will do much good."

"Oh?"

"He's killed a lot of people. It's different this time. Those people in the pub. At the festival tonight. The truck driver that killed Oliver. Oliver's parents. He may even have killed Oliver himself; I've never seen someone so possessed by fear." Stiles looked over at Lydia, worry written across his face. "He almost killed Scott. Now Liam. And all while he's playing us." He paused, looking over Liam and Theo's forms. "Mr. Yukimura said he's playing Shōgi this time."

"And he's taking out pieces move by move," Deaton offered. "If you're right about how far gone Jasper Allen is, then yes, the lichen will be useless. Changing the body of the host will be useless." Stiles and Lydia both met his gaze with the same look of despair. "I understand the Nogitsune may have moved in conjunction with Brett and Lori's murderer."

"Harper Graham, yeah. Gerard's man."

"Then I need to offer an even more disconcerting thought: Gerard, on two critical occasions, was more than willing to utilize the supernatural to conquer it; what's to say Monroe wouldn't do the same as her mentor?"

Stiles and Lydia both exchanged the same look with each other.

"It's not a question of 'would,'" came a familiar voice from inside the lobby. "She did."

Lydia hurried to the dividing frame between the rooms and looked at the two additions. "Isaac?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \--"Jasper Allen" portrayed by Tyler Young


End file.
